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mark.stinson

Could “recommendation algorithms” have a greater role in pharma marketing?

Published by Mark Stinson on November 23, 2011.

Recommendation algorithms are best known for their use on e-commerce Web sites, where they generate a list of recommended items based on input about a customer’s interests.

One of the best known examples is Amazon.com, which uses recommendation algorithms to personalize the online store for each customer. The online store radically changed based on customer interests, searches, wish lists, and purchases. It shows programming books to a software engineer, and baby toys to a new mother.

No wonder that when you compare two important measures of Web-based and email advertising effectiveness – click-through and conversion rates – these personalized suggestions perform vastly better compared to untargeted content (such as banner ads and top-seller lists).

Now the framework is so commonplace that even new fall TV shows are being publicized based on “what you like.”

  • Like The Big Bang Theory? Try New Girl.
  • People like you who watch The Mentalist have also watched Unforgettable.
  • You have Modern Family on your DVR, so why not try Man Up!
  • You ordered every season of Mad Men on iTunes, so you should watch Pan Am.

We have seen the retail industry more broadly apply recommendation algorithms for targeted marketing, both online and offline. While e-commerce businesses may have the easiest vehicles for personalization, the technology is also compelling to offline marketers for use in postal mailings, coupons, and other forms of customer communication.

In healthcare, one example similar to Amazon’s is the Web site for Edward Hospital & Health Services in Naperville, Illinois.  Last year, Edwards started using real-time behavioral targeting to tailor its Web content to current and prospective patients based on individual health needs.  It uses consumer and patient data stored in the hospital’s CRM database to interactively and incrementally customize the content presented to individuals to enhance and personalize the consumer “conversation.”

From our pharma marketing viewpoint, I’ve been pondering the health, medical, and wellness applications of such recommendations:

  • If you have this condition, you should pay attention to these associated risk factors.
  • If you’re taking this prescription, you might consider this companion product/food to make it more tolerable.
  • If you are seeing this kind of doctor, you could also benefit from these supportive healthcare services.

These CRM-enabled Web messages could be displayed as dynamically created, real-time content that contains customized copy, imagery and offers for individual visitors.

Most of all, these relevant health messages would create a more personalized experience that could improve patient engagement.

Categories: New ideas and approaches
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mark.stinson

Using Practice-Focused Research for New Product Conception

Published by Mark Stinson on October 10, 2011.

We all must keep up with trends – and even attempt to stay ahead – of new developments in health science, patient management, technology, evidence-based guidelines, reimbursement, and regulations.

That’s what makes the understanding of a physician’s practice such a critical component of product innovation.

With the array of information available now through journals, seminars, societies, textbooks, and online searches, it is understandably difficult to determine on your own what constitutes relevant current practice and what does not.

The first step in approaching this task may be to clarify the differences among basic research methodologies, and then to align different methodologies to answer different types of practice questions.

That said, qualitative research contributes a great deal of essential information.  With many of the techniques we use, it’s possible to explore attitudes, opinions, beliefs, perceptions, interactions, practice structure, and behaviors in various settings.

There are a variety of types or approaches to practice-focused research, here are a few types of qualitative studies I’ve found the most value from:

  • Case studies – the case study approach generally involves an in-depth examination or exploration of a single example. A case may be based on:
  1. an individual doctor’s established routine
  2. a group of physicians or researchers, who have created common protocols
  3. a hospital that uses a documented treatment algorithm or formulary
  4. a professional society which has published practice guidelines
  5. an event that exemplifies the experiences of the group

For example, we worked with a client with a treatment for a rare medical condition and reported an analysis of eight cases of practices. Specifically, we collected reports of in-office activities, interviews with generalists and specialists, patient notes, videotapes of interactions, and other materials. We gained valuable insight into the nature of diagnosis, patient communication, most important, ideas for product packaging and training before the brand launch.

  • Monitoring blogs and social media – with the emergence of blogs as a mainstream medium, it is wise to keep track of the blogosphere in your category.  You can gain real insights from the unedited comments and ideas from customers, competitors and influencers.
  • Online research – the infinite information available on the web makes it a central element of external idea sourcing. Key targets will include companies, university research, media, patent applications, and industry association events.
  • Non-customer analysis – considering their feedback as to why they do not select existing products, along with their suggested improvements, can often be more valuable than that your satisfied customers.
  • Advocate community – even though setting up an advocate community can be a major undertaking, it can allow users to interact naturally.  It offers an environment in which they can suggest valuable improvements.  And if you can’t create your own communities, look to leverage third-party sites where users congregate and interact.
  • Observational research – in this ethnographic approach, we gain a deeper understanding of the customers by watching their day-to-day process.  We can identify key drivers of both successful and sub-optimal protocols and product use.  It helps us develop a clearer picture of the future expectations and requirements for new products.  And we can explore actionable parameters for implementation. We go beyond asking the customer what they want, to seeing what they need to make life easier – and may not know they need it.

Using several sources (like interviews, site visits, internet postings, and case studies), you can create a rich description of practice.  And that can lead to understanding perceived strengths and weaknesses of current offerings, as well as essential components of prospective improvements.

That’s the value of practice-focused research as a start to the brand innovation process – and ultimately to brand liberation.

Categories: Marketing trends and best practices
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bnasal

Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick

Published by Bob Nasal on September 29, 2011.

The title of this piece is good advice for the young lad in the nursery rhyme and likely for many organizations going through change. . You’re probably familiar with the saying, “To the victor go the spoils.” Now there’s a new twist on that message—“To the nimble go the spoils”—as explained in a recent journal article.1 It’s the authors’ contention that, in the business world, the victors will indeed be those who are nimble and who adapt.

Now, at first glance, I wasn’t sure how “new” this idea really is. Don’t you and I already know this? During the last two or three decades, there are myriad examples of nimble organizations eating the lunch of their slow-footed rivals. Think of the Japanese automakers who have grabbed large chunks of the US market from their Detroit rivals. Then think about what Netflix and Redbox have done to Blockbuster (remember them?). Corporate graveyards are home to multitudes of other companies who didn’t see the signs, who didn’t move fast enough, or who resisted change. So I’m thinking, what’s new?

The authors point to several factors that are either new or increasing in scope and/or intensity. These include: new technologies, greater transparency, globalization, huge volumes of changing information, and unpredictable environments. The result? Uncertainty—and uncertainty undermines the traditional approaches to strategy, which assume “a relatively stable and predictable world.” The authors assert that it’s no longer sufficient to try to produce competitive advantages by assembling the right competencies and resources to produce desirable customer offerings. They believe that sustainable competitive advantage, which is what we’re all pursuing, is born out of rapid adaptation.

So if adaptability is the Holy Grail, how do we acquire and practice it? The authors say we need four organizational capabilities:

  1. Ability to read and act on signals of change. The organization needs to tune in to signals from outside the organization, figure out what the signals are saying, and then act on them quickly and appropriately. Although this sounds straightforward enough, experience tells us that this is much easier said than done.
  2. Ability to experiment. To gain advantages, companies need to change the way they experiment and they need to broaden their experimentation. Technology can assist here, and the authors mention Procter & Gamble’s internal open-innovation networks that are used to solve technical design problems. They also describe the importance of dealing constructively with experimentation failures, tolerating them and even celebrating them.
  3. Ability to manage complex multi-company systems. Our own parent company (inVentiv) organization is an example of this type of system. In the authors’ view, strategies need to be created at the broad system or network level, not at the single-company level. The strategies must consider and include the full spectrum of players, whether they reside inside or outside the organization. Nokia is cited as a company that has suffered big-time because, unlike its competitors, it failed to successfully apply the systems approach to its strategies.
  4. Ability to mobilize. Organizations need to create the environments that encourage all of the factors (eg, communication flows, autonomy, flexibility, and risk taking) needed to become a successful adapter. Again, this is easier said than done—not all companies are willing or able to accomplish this. The article cites examples at Cisco, Whole Foods, and Netflix to show how companies successfully mobilize.

Maybe all of this reminds you of the stark survival imperative in the real-life world of nature, “Adapt or die.” It applies to us, too. So, returning to our nursery rhyme, if Jack isn’t nimble, he’s going to get burned. Likewise, if organizations aren’t nimble, they too run the risk  of getting burned. Makes sense to me.

Reeves M and Deimler M. Adaptability: The New Competitive Advantage. Harvard Business Review July-August, 2011; 135-141.
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areinbolz

Just like baking a cake: Successful communication using digital media

Published by Andreas Reinbolz on April 22, 2010.

When was the last time you cooked? We’re not talking about putting a frozen lasagne in the microwave here – we mean selecting (or thinking up) a recipe, preparing all the ingredients and then carefully combining them. Do you remember the vision you had of the finished dish, or the fine aroma that filled the kitchen as you mixed a blend of herbs? You will do if you got it right!

We believe that a brand should work in the same way.

It should not only be well-devised, integrated and emotionally engaging, but also exhibit good taste and a sense of practicality. This is especially valid in the case of international pharmaceuticals communication, where a complex regulatory environment and high level of message complexity make it especially challenging to achieve this powerful fusion of emotional and rational messages.

All too often, the initial reflex is to reach for new communication channels, with typical statements ranging from “We need a new Twitter channel” to “We need to get more out of Web 2.0”. This approach quickly places more emphasis on the tool itself than on brand strategy and message. Marketing representatives need to ask themselves the following question: how can new channels be used to strengthen the brand and promote economic success?

No-one completely redesigns their favourite dish to incorporate a newly purchased kitchen device.

Let us say, for example, that you have just bought a new sandwich maker. Although it may be a fantastic machine, to use it to bake a cake would not only be absurd, but also leave you with an inedible cake. The same applies in the media sector.

Whereas a variety of new innovations appears on the market each and every year, the key is to apply them in an efficient, effective way. A few years ago it was blogs, now it is Twitter, and soon it may be location-based services that are on the cutting edge, but the simple adoption and implementation of a new tool does not necessarily improve brand communication. Indeed, the selection of the wrong channel for a specific message or target group is an excellent way of throwing good money after bad. On the other hand, of course, a new, appropriate path can offer a solution to an unsolved communication issue, fill a brand with fresh impetus or enable a company to tap into new target groups.

We are constantly on the lookout for visions, energies and coordinated channel mixes which deliver true brand differentiation. The question of “Why?” is at the forefront of our minds when we select suitable media and tools, and this enables us to take full advantage of innovative, exciting technological opportunities. Whether digital or classical, the communication measures we design represent fine dining for the pharmaceuticals sector.

(Written with Arno Bock)

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ajoly

Two questions to refocus your media strategy

Published by Amanda Joly on April 16, 2010.

The Ad Age Digital Conference took place in NYC the week of April 12th. While much of the coverage and discussion was focused on digital strategy, one article in particular struck me as highly relevant to our business.  The article was different because it focused on striking the right balance of “old” and “new” communications channels.

Within the piece, the president-CEO of NPR (yes, National Public Radio), Vivian Schiller, discusses their approach to embracing and adopting digital channels such as blogs and smartphone apps and how a strategy of striking a harmonious balance between the use of “old” channels (e.g. TV, radio, print) and “new” channels (e.g. social, blogs, Apps) has delivered success.

“Ms. Schiller tries to strike a balance between going ‘back to basics’ and jumping on ‘every bright, shiny object that comes along’.”

NPR has realized that they have to be extremely selective when thinking about the channels they use to promote and distribute content related to their stations and the network as a whole.  Let’s face it, they rely on the public for their operating budget so they cannot be wasteful or mesmerized by every new digital idea or tactics that presents itself to them.

Each and every channel idea whether “old or new” is approached in the same way and they ask the same questions:

  1. Is it useful to the NPR consumer?
  2. Will it produce quality content to engage that same consumer?

So, how do we take this best practice into action within our pharma-focused world where, let’s face it, things are just more complex than in the consumer advertising world.

As complex as we tend to make our work, the same two questions that are asked above can and should still be applied to everything we do:

  1. Is this or will this be useful to oncologists?
  2. Will it help to produce quality educational or brand-specific content to engage oncologists and oncology nurses?

Answering these questions at the inception of the planning process when we are thinking about appropriateness of channels will help focus our efforts and will even help answer the burning client question, If we only had one dollar to invest, where would you put it?

When we adopt the mindset of our target audience we have a much better chance of building a cohesive, connected communications plan where the recommended channels and tactics are most relevant to our audience versus a list of 350+ tactics that have minimal connection or foundation to what our audience wants or needs and instead are based on the hot marketing trend or are trying too hard to include the newest channel on the block.

Throw out these two questions and see what happens.  At a minimum, your colleagues and clients will appreciate being re-focused.  At a maximum, we can improve our ideas and output.

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